A Twisted Kind of Marriage
by LifeLover22
Summary: Hey, guys! I'm sorry I've been gone so long! Here is another story of Zevie for you to enjoy! It's based on Romeo and Juliet/ my Geography class since we've been learning about arranged marriages in different countries. Gravity 5 is just normal friends in this story and have nothing to do with a band. AU and rated K for swearing! Enjoy!
1. Prologue

**Okay, this is a Zevie story! I'm sorry I've been gone for awhile, but I'm back for another story, and I'm out of school on Wednesday so I can update more than one at once! So, the point to this story, being influenced by Geography/Romeo and Juliet in English and how other countries have arranged marriages (sorry if this offends anyone), is obviously is about Stevie and Zander being forced into marriage, hating each other. It's AU and the rest of Gravity 5 is just in here as friends not band members. This is only the prologue. Enjoy!**

**STEVIE'S POV**

I can't believe this is happening.

The stranger that I am set to marry is said to be a complete jerk.

A total player and conceited. Not only a little conceited, but so conceited that the only thing he does all day is sit in front of a mirror.

Did I mention he was the prince?

Well, he is. Which explains why he is conceited and doesn't need to get off his butt to work like all the normal sweet guys.

Some say I'm lucky because he is rich and so will I.

But honestly, I just want to be married to a nice, kind middle class man that genuinely cares. No offense, but in this place, the only nice people are the poorer.

Unfortunately, my father is rich, therefore I must marry the rich, or it would be "disgracing."

I've met the guy once and came to the conclusion that all the rumors about him were not actually rumors. Including the one that says that he's hot. Because he is. At least my father picked a beauty as my future husband.

Yuck.

Future husband. All I want to do when I think about this is bend over and puke.

Now, me, I like to stick my ground, and usually, it works. Especially on my father. This time... not so much. The first time he doesn't give his baby girl what she wants happens to be the time when she wants it most. So I am at my doom. Plagued to spend the rest of my life with a man I hate. The wedding is in a week, and so far I have to be forced to anything concerning it.

Stevie look at this. Stevie do you like this? Come here and choose this, Stevie. What do you want, Stevie?

What do I want?

I want to be single for the next four years of my life. You know, until I'm twenty. That's right, married at sixteen. Wow, I hate my life! Being rich might have it's benefits, but it also has its own scheme of life-torturing drama and happenings.

Well, back to love-himself boy. His name is Zander, and he is twenty-one.

Rich son marrying old. That's a new one. Sometimes I wonder if this whole marriage wasn't planned from the day of my birth. It seems like my parents always had me go to their home for lovely teas with Zander's younger sister, Amber.

Amber was my best friend. Talk about a best friend's brother. What does Amber think about this?

Well, she's just perfect! She's excited about her soon-to-be-official-sister, and her marriage to her brother. She doesn't think it's awkward. She thinks it's the best thing in the world!

Well, I certainly don't...

**ZANDER'S POV**

I can't believe this is happening!

The girl I am set to marry happens to be an over-exaggerating bitch!

I've met her like once which is weird considering she's practically my sister's sister. Making her my sister.

Awkward!

She also is known to be a complete jerk.

She fights about anything and everything, and by the way it sounds, she hates my guts.

So what if I like looking my best. That doesn't mean I'm inconsiderate or mean.

I, in fact, love girls. Another thing is that some people say I love them too much. Let's just say I like to view my options. She was definitely never on my 'list.'

Her name is Stevie, and she's sixteen.

Sixteen! Practically a baby compared to me; a twenty-one-year-old! It's obviously not that big of a difference, but the point is that she doesn't act like a mature sixteen-year-old. Definitely not one ready for marriage.

According to her mom, she refuses to have anything to do with the planning of this wedding.

Every little thing she's asked about, she snaps out an answer, and probably not even a little bit concerned to what she agreed to.

So, both of us being rich very possibly has a big part in this whole wedding, but what can I say? Being rich has it's ups and downs. Ups being, well rich, and downs being, this. Being forced into a wedding at a certain age and having to have the person you are marrying rich or royal, too. She's not as high up in the hierarchy as me, but she's pretty close. She is the daughter of our neighboring town's 'president.' Like I said, they go by almighty names just to sound fancy. My town has a king; her town has a president. So we're pretty even other than the fact that most people think of a king as more of an important person than a president.

I mean, king or president? Most little kids claim king before they president! It's just human nature.

Let's not forget about Amber now.

Amber is my sister. She's also sixteen, and Stevie is her favorite person in this world.

Now, most sisters would tell their older brother to stay away from their best friend so that he doesn't hurt her.

Nope.

Amber is helping with half of the arrangements just to get this thing over with! She's probably the most excited person on this planet right now.

Well, I am not.

And I highly doubt Stevie is either...

**The prologue is done! Hope you enjoyed the first chapter and have a great week!**


	2. Chapter 1

**So, I'm reporting this chapter and probably the next one too because I went back to read this, and I realized that since I hadn't written this all out I ended up changing they points in the plot in the chapters. Sorry for any confusion this created!**

**STEVIE'S POV**

I sit in my dressing room getting the makeup plastered on my face.

There's nothing that I hate more than fake beauty. I don't care how much better it makes me look; I don't want it.

Plus, I don't really care how ugly I look for this occasion. It's not like I'm doing this willingly.

Yeah, today is my wedding day.

The wedding day that every girl dreams about and plans for all of their life.

I used to dream of it.

I dreamed of the dress I would wear.

The beautiful dress would be white and simple.

What do I get? Pretty much a dress that you see on "My Big Fat American Gypsy Wedding." Maybe with a couple less layers though.

I dreamed of the location. A white sandy beach to match my white dress.

What do I get? I get a city hall.

I dreamed of the guests. All of my friends and family that I loved, and all of my husband's. All of the people that we love.

What do I get? I get all of that, but I don't love my husband, and he doesn't love me.

I dreamed of my bridesmaids and their dresses.

What do I get? Well, I have one bridesmaid, and it's Zander's sister. Amber is my best friend, but she's not my only one. The dresses should have been a soft sea green. The one single dress was blood red.

And the most important thing, I dreamed of the guy I would marry. How he would act, react, and how he would love me.

What do I get? A guy that hates my guts and doesn't want to do this anymore than I do.

So, no matter how happy I should be that I'm getting married, I can't be.

I've told that to everyone who has come up to congratulate me. They just look at me and tell me that I'm lucky and shouldn't be complaining. That at least I will have a roof over my head, food to eat, and clothes to wear.

The only problem is that I don't want those things. I want happiness.

I just want happiness.

"There you go, Beautiful," another one of best friends, Kacey says.

I look at myself in the mirror.

I am beautiful. The makeup was a little much, but I am beautiful.

I can feel my eyes start to water which isn't good. I don't cry. The only time anyone has ever seen me cry was when I talked to Kacey after I found out about this wedding.

"Thanks, Kacey," I manage to say between sobs.

"Oh, Honey, come here," she says pulling me close.

I sniffle, "This should be my day. The best day of my life. The day that I've always dreamed of. It should be the day that I will never forget or regret. But it isn't, it's quite possibly the worst day of my life."

"Stevie," Kacey says quietly. "You will be okay. I know you hate things not going your way, but things will get better. Just remember that I am always here for you."

I nod my head. "I know. Thank you, Kacey."

"Your welcome. Now let's get you fixed up a little so you don't look so sad."

I allow her to fix my makeup, and I'm ready to go.

"Are you ready?" My mom asks peeking in.

I turn to her, "I guess."

"Sweetie, make the most of this! This will be the greatest day of your life!"

I can't believe my ears. I've told her how many times how much I hate Zander. How upset this is making me. How much I DON'T want this.

"How can you say that? How many times have I told you, you forced this upon me therefore, I am NOT happy, and I will NEVER be happy!"

This in turn got her fired up.

"We are doing this for you. Do NOT question our antics because they are what's best for you!" My mom yells.

"Best for me?! What is so great about thi? I'm crying before my wedding because I don't want this!" I scream back.

Then my voice moves to a whisper, "I guess you really don't care as much as I thought you did."

**ZANDER'S POV**

No matter how much I hate this, the worst thing about it is that Stevie doesn't get what she wants.

See, I'm not always self-absorbed, and I'm not only saying this because I don't want this wedding either, I'm saying it because I do care about Stevie's feelings.

I don't really know her, but I'm marrying her. I can't help but feel some sort of connection to her. Her happiness does matter.

I do have a little sister, and I know how much she fantasizes about her wedding. How much she fantasizes about her dress. The location that would make her the calmest and happiest. All of the guests she wants to join in the celebration of her life. Who her bridesmaids will be, and what their dresses will look like.

And probably the most important part of the whole thing, the guy.

The guy she loves. The guy she wants. The guy she needs.

The guy she can't live without.

The last time I checked, Stevie can live without me. She WANTS to live without me.

And that breaks my heart.

It breaks my heart because I want my sister to have everything she has ever dreamed of, and Stevie not getting what she dreams of isn't fair.

Her parents think they're doing what's best for Stevie.

They aren't.

They are very possibly ruining her whole life, and the fact that I'm forced to take part in her unhappiness is terrible.

"Hey, you ready to do this?" My best man, Nelson says walking in.

I turn to him, "Honestly, no. I feel like I'm about to ruin a girl's life. One that I have no part of and no business being a part of when I don't actually have feelings for."

Nelson just looks at me.

"You know you're a better man than what most people give you credit for."

"Thanks," I say chuckling. "I care about people and their feelings."

"Well, then the only thing left to do is for you to get out of this wedding."

I look at him like he's an idiot, "You do realize that's not possible."

Nelson stands there brainstorming.

"Nelson, I'm just going to marry the girl and try to make her the happiest I can."

"You are a great man," Nelson replies wiping the fake tears from his eyes.

I laugh and swat him across the chest, "You're such a sap!"

"Hey! I can only do so much when you're being sweet!"

I laugh and punch his arm, "Well, at least someone believes in my niceness."

"Yeah, even though you are quite self-absorbed in public," Nelson says covering his face from what I assume my fist.

I whack him on the back of the head, "Being in public is not my forte!"

"Uh huh, just keep on telling yourself that, Lover Boy."

We were fighting around when Stevie's brother, Chris, walks in.

"It's time," he says.

I nod my head and follow him out the door.

"This should be good..."

**Again, I'm sooo sorry about any confusion this created. Love you all!**


	3. Chapter 2

**This is the next chapter that I am redoing so I hope some things make more sense now!**

**ZANDER'S POV**

I stood at the front of the hall looking around at my family and Stevie's.

I can't understand why her family is so happy to see her so upset to the point of crying from sadness.

That's something I thought I would never be able to say.

My fiancé is crying, not from happiness, but from sadness at who she has to marry.

It almost makes me hate myself for not being a nicer person outside of my home.

Which isn't far from the truth.

I mean, we've met a couple of times, her being Amber's best friend and all. But most of what she's heard about me was from her friends who have less than spectacular views of me. Plus, my sister isn't my biggest fan either sometimes. Now, that doesn't seem fair to either of us. Me, because it's not who I truly am and her because she thinks I'm a terrible person and can't make her happy. So, standing here looking down the "aisle" as she makes her way toward me, I can't help but feel my heart shattering.

When she gets to me, I give her a small smile that she gingerly returns.

Throughout the ceremony, I find myself glancing over at Stevie from the corner of my eyes to see hers are downcast.

I take her hand in mine and give it a reassuring squeeze. When she looks up at me, I lean over to her ear.

"Everything will be okay," I whisper.

She looks into my eyes and smiles gently. "I'm holding you to that."

I smile and chuckle under my breath as the minister continues on.

Seriously? We have a minister, but we're in City Hall? What happened to the church?

"The bride and groom will now share their vows."

I look to Stevie. "Stevie, I know that this situation is anything but ideal. I just want you to know that I will do everything I can to make life comfortable for you. I'm also not the type of man you and your friends think I am. In public, I admit that I'm a pretty big player, but it's not because I don't care. It's because I want to care about someone, and I can't stop trying to find that person. Now that we're getting married, I just want to make sure that you know that I will do my very best at anything and everything you ask or expect of me."

When I'm done, she's just staring at me like if she's surprised at the very thought that I might be a good guy. I widen my eyes expectantly to get her to start speaking. She instantly snaps out of her trance and shakes her head a little. I'm guessing to clear it.

She opens her mouth just to close it again. Stevie looks down at her hand in mine. When she raises her eyes to mine, she gives me a smile.

"Wow. I'm a little speechless, but thank you. It's not like this situation is perfect for you either. I know you just want to live your life and be with who you want to be, but obviously, we can both tell that isn't going to happen anytime soon," Stevie says as she holds her gaze to mine. "But, I can promise you one thing: I won't make life anymore difficult than it has to be... on purpose," she adds getting everyone to laugh. I can't and won't promise you that I won't hate your guts at times. I just hope that mainly, we can become friends."

Everything is silent as we wait for the next step of the ceremony. When nothing is said, all eyes turn to the officiant to see him wiping his eyes with his hand.

I share a look to Stevie as we both burst out laughing.

He waves his hand in front of his face brushing our laughter off and clearing his throat. "Sorry, that was a beautiful exchange between two people who are practically strangers. Anyway, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride."

I turn to Stevie and smile leaning in.

Her eyes flash with worry, but I reassure her with a look into her eyes. She gives me a slight smile as I close the distance between us and place a kiss on her cheek. I pull back and gather her hands in mine. Turning around, we walk back down the aisle to see our families smiling at clapping.

They better be happy...

**STEVIE'S POV**

To say that I was surprised at my wedding would be an understatement. I so wanted to hate Zander, but what he said was exactly what the minister had said.

Bequtiful.

Touching.

I do realize he made quite a few promises that I want to believe he will keep. His track record says differently, but it's been wrong before. Now at the reception, I'm wrapped in his arms swaying to the music. I feel a hand touch my shoulder, and I turn around to see my mom. She smiles at me and looks to Zander.

"Can I steal her for a minute, young man?" She asks.

Zander nods his head, "Sure."

He walks away to talk to his best friends who I was introduced to as Kevin and Nelson. Nelson being Zander's best man. They are... interesting.

"What do you want?" I ask with fake anger. So the wedding wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be, but I'm still not happy about them forcing us into this.

My mom just looks at me. "I'm happy for you, Stevie."

"Happy for me?!" I whisper loudly. "I'm not happy at all! I was forced to get married to a stranger whose reputation isn't all that perfect!"

"Honey, I see the way you look at each other. You're happy whether you admit it or not."

"I don't know him! His promises were excellent, but I don't know if I can believe him. I classify him as my friend not husband so you will see us smiling and laughing at points, but that does not mean that we are happy with this situation."

I spin on my heels and head back to Zander and his friends where Kacey has joined them.

"You guys are meant for each other," I hear my mom call after me as I continue to walk away.

I walk up to Kacey and give her a hug.

"Everyone has to admit; you guys are cute together," she whispers in my ear and smiles at me as I pull away.

I just roll my eyes and jump into their conversation.

"So," Kevin begins pointing between Zander and me. "I was thinking that you two should really come and stay with Nelson and me for a couple of days so we can get to know our new best friend."

I can see the look of confusion on Zander's face.

"Kevin, I see you everyday anyway. What is staying with you going to change? We'd just be sleeping."

"Well fine!" Kevin exclaims clamping his mouth shut.

I give him a soft smile and turn to Zander. "Let's do it."

His eyes widen, "You want to stay with my friends?"

I just look at him.

"Your friends are my friends, and since you spend so much time with them, I figure I should get to know them, too. Why do you sound surprised?"

"I don't know. You never liked me so I guess I assumed you would hate my friends," Zander answers.

I look back to Kevin and Nelson smiling. "Nah, I'm pretty sure I'm going to love them."

"Awww," they coo together before making me a sandwich between them.

I laugh and embrace them back.

"Hey, Kace! You should come, too!" I suggest.

"Ohhh, no," Kacey says waving her hands. "That's okay."

"Come on, Kacey. It'll be fun," I turn to begging now.

"Yeah, Kacey, it'll be fun," Zander agrees.

Kacey just rolls her eyes.

"Okay, fine! I'll come."

"Yes!" Kevin yells.

"Group hug!" Nelson follows Kevin's excitement.

We all pull together for one big hug.

I share a look across our group circle with Zander, and all I can think is that maybe this won't be so bad after all...

**Thank you to any new readers, and thank you to any old that came back and reread this! I'm sorry about the mistakes in the first place so I hope I cleared a lot of confusion up!**


	4. Chapter 3

**The next chapter is here! Hope you guys enjoy!**

**STEVIE'S POV**

The honeymoon.

Enough is said in that simple statement.

How are you supposed to have a honeymoon if 1) you don't even know the person that well and 2) you don't love them?

Well, my _husband_ has all the answers for this.

"Here we are, Baby," Zander says as he pushes through the door of our five-star hotel room.

I turn my head and roll my eyes. "Dude, don't call me 'baby.' We both know neither of us want to be here."

Zander stares at me and shakes his head smiling.

"What?" I ask already getting annoyed.

"Just because we don't necessarily want to be here, doesn't mean we can't take advantage of what we have and don't have to pay for," he answers me placing the bags near the dresser.

I sigh, "Yeah, I guess. So what's on the agenda?"

We both just stand there for a few seconds before simultaneously saying, "The beach."

Zander chuckles at our precision and tosses my bag to me.

"Thanks," I say heading towards the bathroom before turning around in the doorway. "How much does this hotel cost."

He shrugs his shoulders, "Enough."

I nod my head and turn back around to get changed. As I lock the door, I open up my bag to find multiple bikinis, none of which were mine. _Kacey._ I chuckle to myself digging around to find the one that looked like it showed the least amount of skin possible. Before I leave the bathroom, I look in the mirror pulling my hair into a ponytail. I exit the bathroom to see Zander on his phone sitting on the bed.

He looks up when he hears the door open and stops in his tracks.

"Um, wow..." he manages to say.

I can feel the blush making its way to my cheeks as I find myself pulling the bag in front of me to provide protection from his impressed stare. I awkwardly clear my throat and make my way to the pile of the rest of the bags. "Should we get going?"

I watch as Zander shakes his head, I'm guessing to clear it, and stands up.

"Did I just get a blush out of Stevie Baskara?" He asks jokingly.

I roll my eyes and smile, "Stevie Robbins now."

His face turns serious and just looks at me. "I'm really sorry about all of this, Stevie."

I just give him a soft smile, "I know, and trust me, it means a lot."

"Well okay, sentimental part of our trip done; now let's let the fun part begin!" Zander says as he pushes me towards the door.

I can feel myself smiling as we make our way to the lobby and into the sun.

**S & Z**

Three hours and a good tan, possibly a sunburn later, we head back to the room to shower and change before heading to dinner.

"You want to go first?" I ask Zander politely.

He looks up from his phone and shakes his head. "Nah, you can."

I go over to grab my bag when I hear Zander groan. I turn on my heels to see him angrily typing away at his phone.

Clearing my throat, I ask, "Everything all right?"

He glances up from his phone and gives me a soft smile, "Yeah, everything will be fine after my mother stops pressuring me."

"Now what is she pressuring you about?" I ask raising my eyebrows.

"That's not important," Zander states getting a weird look on his face.

Acting like I'm heading towards the bathroom dropping the subject, I quickly yank his phone from his hands. Thank the high heavens that he doesn't have it locked. Zander tries to grab it from my hands, but I hold it in front of me and out of his reach. My eyes widen as I read the latest text messages sent to the phone.

"She wants you to get me pregnant?!"

He bows his head and places it in his hand massaging his forehead. "Yep, that would be my mom."

"Well, what are you going to tell her?" I ask still appalled at his mother's thoughts.

They forced us into this hating each other! For all they know, we still hate each other! Well, I still dislike the kid, but he's not as bad as my friends told me.

Zander sighs heavily, "I've told her so many times that it's definitely not going to happen anytime soon if ever, but she doesn't understand. I don't know what to do anymore."

"Well, she can keep bothering us, but she can't make us do anything so why don't we just let it go for now and just order dinner in. We can just chill and spend everyone else's money while getting a break from all the face-to-face bugging," I suggest once again making my way towards the bathroom.

He nods his head, "Sure sounds good."

I turn around to take the final step when I hear from behind me, "Stevie."

"Yeah?" I reply looking over my shoulder.

"I'm really sorry about all of this."

I shake my head and smile, "It's fine, again. It's not like it's your fault that all of this has happened."

Zander returns my smile, "Go take your shower. I'm getting hungry."

I laugh and shut the door behind me. I guess my family isn't the only crazy one.

**ZANDER'S POV**

So, I guess the honeymoon was going well until my mother just _had _to text me. Why does she always insist on making things difficult for me? She knows that Stevie and I don't actually know each other, and she knows that we aren't in love. I don't know what else to say to her to get that through her head! Now things are going to be awkward as we try to forget about the bad circumstances that we have to face when we get home.

Stevie's in the shower now so I pick up the menu that was neatly placed in the bedside table drawer and look it over. By no means am I unaccustomed to expensive food, but this hotel is outrageous! The usual expensive food is twice as high here.

"Oh my God," I mutter looking over the menu.

"What's _oh my God_?" Stevie asks as I jump sky high.

I glance up, "Geez, you scared me!"

She giggles softly and answers, "Yeah, I can tell by the hole you put in the ceiling."

"Wow, thanks," I say sarcastically. "Um, this food is really expensive."

"Dude, we're rich. How much can it really- Holy crap!" She exclaims pulling the booklet out of my hands.

Stevie sits on the edge of the bed next to me and runs her fingers through her wet hair. "What is wrong with this place?"

I shrug my shoulders. "Should we order the most expensive stuff just because we can?"

Stevie looks between the menu and me. "You bet we are!"

"Hand me the phone then," I say laughing at her excitement.

She reaches over and hands me it. I take it from her, and our hands end up brushing. Stevie quickly pulls away and walks to her bag retrieving her brush. She turns away and runs it through her hair.

Stevie turns around and looks at me, "Stop staring and order the food."

I quickly look away and dial the restaurant ordering the three most expensive meals.

When I get off the phone, Stevie had made her way into the kitchen area to get a bottle of water. She turns around and catches my eyes so I say, "The food will be here in about forty-five minutes."

She nods her head. "You can go take your shower now before the food gets here then."

"Yeah," I say standing up and reaching for my bag. "I'll be back."

**Z & S**

I exit the bathroom to hear Stevie laughing at something. As I make my way out into the main part of the room, I see Stevie sitting on the bed laughing at what I assume to be a television show.

"What are you watching?" I ask.

She moves her eyes from the TV to mine, "Oh, just _Friends._ Wow, never thought I'd see your hair imperfect."

I roll my eyes. "So what's this show about?"

"What?! You've never watched _Friends_?!"

I shake my head and join her on the other half of the bed.

Stevie groans and answers, "Well, it's a show about six friends, obviously, living together in various apartments. Rachel, the dirty-blonde, is a former rich guy's daughter, and eventually has a daughter with Ross. Ross, the tall one, is her on-again-off-again boyfriend who was once married to a chick who turned out to be, well, but had a son with her. Phoebe, the blonde, is the crazy one who is off her rocker and plays guitar at the coffee shop. She marries a guy named Mike. Joey is the stupid one of the group trying to make it as an actor. Monica, the black haired one, is the OCD one who is obsessed with cleaning and is a chef. Chandler, the funny one, is a business man that just chills with the group and provides living arrangements for Joey until he marries Monica, and they adopt twins in the last like two episodes of the series."

I look at her weirdly.

"What? I like this show!"

"Yeah, I can tell," I say chuckling.

We sit in silence for a few minutes just watching the show until Stevie breaks the silence, "Oh, I put my clothes in the right half of the dresser and closet so you can have the rest of the space."

I nod my head as the door bell rings.

"You want to get that?" I ask Stevie.

She turns from the TV and replies, "Nah, you can get it."

I shake my head and get up to get the door. "Fine, but you're getting it next time."

"Maybe," I hear from behind me as I turn the knob.

**Hope you guys enjoyed! Please review. It means a lot!**


	5. Chapter 4

**Sorry about the lateness... again. Here's the next chapter! It's a little intense so I hope you enjoy!**

**STEVIE'S POV**

The food at this hotel is definitely worth the money that isn't ours.

After five more hours of _Friends, _the clock struck midnight, and we decide to turn in for the night.

I switch the television off as Zander says, "I'll take the couch."

I glance across the bed to see his moving form, "No, I'll take the couch. You're taller than I am so it just makes sense."

He stops in his tracks and looks at me, "Seriously Stevie? Have you seen the size of this room? Everything is huge. Including the couch, which is why I'm sleeping there."

"Fine. Be stubborn. I was just trying to be nice," I snort as I peel back the covers throwing a blanket over to him. "I can only try so much."

Zander spins on his heels and gives me a hard look. I can tell he's mad before his voice even fills up the room. "You were _trying_? Are you talking about today or about the last couple of weeks? Because the last time I checked, you were being as stubborn as a mule during the whole planning of _our_ wedding! Your mom told me you refused to give her or anyone else any feedback as to what you wanted or didn't want; what you liked or didn't like. That to me is not trying very hard if at all."

I was taken aback. Big time. "_Excuse me_?"

Standing up from the bed, I march right into Zander's face. "First of all, the planning isn't any of your business. You weren't the one getting calls at seven o' clock in the morning to pick out a color of flower. I am sorry for being stubborn about a wedding I didn't want. I am sixteen years old! How am I supposed to take that? Being forced to be grown-up and live with a complete stranger is not exactly my cup of tea, and no matter what anyone says, nothing prepares you for that. And yes, just now, today, I _was_ trying to get along with an ignorant jerk because I want to have as simple of a life as possible. If getting along with you is what it would have taken, then that's what I was going to do. Now, I'm not so sure you even deserve that. I obviously didn't get my way when I objected to this marriage, and don't tell me that I haven't tried when I have done my very best not to strangle you with my own two hands since the second I met you!"

I'm out of breath when I finish which is probably why I didn't expect what happens next.

Zander yanks me to him and pretty much kisses me senseless. Neither one of us know how long we have been standing there before he lifts me into his arms and makes his way to the bed. We break apart breathing heavily as Zander sets me down on the bed and walks over to where he dropped the blanket I had given him earlier. "Goodnight, Stevie," he says without turning around and closing the door behind him.

"Oh my God," I whisper to myself as I place my fingers on my swollen lips. "What just happened?"

I flop back onto my back staring at the ceiling as I replay the last few minutes in my head. Glancing at the clock, I see that's it's already 12:27.

_We just spent fifteen minutes making out?!_

I rub my hands over my face and roll over onto my side curling up into a ball.

_Tomorrow is going to suck..._

**ZANDER'S POV**

I bury my face in the couch pillow as I settle down for the night.

I don't know why I kissed Stevie which probably isn't a good thing. Was it a spur of the moment thing? Was it just to shut her up? Or was it more?

These are all questions that I can't answer. The very same questions that keep me up for another two hours thinking things over.

I mean, I have to give Stevie some credit. One, she's only sixteen. Two, she was forced into a marriage with someone who, in her description, is an ignorant jerk. And finally, the fact that she has at least put some effort into making things as simple and happy as possible while on this honeymoon. So now I have to apologize for my words and my actions which is pretty much stating that I know I'm an ignorant jerk.

_Great, all I need is to tell her that I realize how much of a jerk I am._

This thought also proves her point of me being ignorant. Why can't my life just be simple without any complications? Because then it would be too easy.

I fall asleep deep in thought as I toss and turn on the couch.

**Z & S**

I wake up this morning hearing the television in the bedroom through the walls. Glancing at my phone, I see the time is almost ten.

I sit up and stretch my sore muscles and decide to just get this discussion over with now.

Standing up, I make my way to the door and knock softly. I can hear Stevie say something softly and decided that it's okay to go in.

I walk in and take a seat on the other side of the bed stretching my feet out in front of me.

Her eyes are glued to the TV, but I can tell she's curious as to why I'm here.

Taking a deep breath, I reach over her and grab the remote switching the television off. She moves her eyes from the black screen to me.

"I'm sorry," I start looking down at my hands. "I shouldn't have expected so much out of you when I know how much I reacted to this marriage. You're sixteen. I'm not saying you're immature, because you aren't, but I kind of forgot that you aren't as close to the age that I am. Like I said, I'm sorry."

Stevie nods her head slowly as turns a little bit on the bed. "Well, for what it's worth, you're forgiven. I have to apologize too. I shouldn't have called you an ignorant jerk because honestly you have been the complete opposite to me since the day we met. The things my friends have said just jump out at the littlest of problems, and I guess, I want to believe them. Oh, and I know I'm stubborn. I've been told that way more times than a person can count."

I laugh at this and reach over to squeeze her hand, "You are forgiven also."

Reaching for the drawer, I pull out the menu once again. "Ready for breakfast?"

"Of course I am," she states pulling the booklet out of my hands.

I order the food as Stevie flicks the TV back on.

"What do you want to watch?" She asks flipping to the guide.

We scroll through it until I see the title.

"There! Channel fifteen!" I command as she jumps at my sudden reaction.

Stevie glances at me with wide eyes as she pushes the number and _Boy Meets World _pops up on the screen.

I chuckle at her fright, and she just rolls her eyes turning them back to the screen. An episode goes by when the bell rings.

I move my head to face Stevie, "Your turn."

She throws her head back and groans loudly making every step an over-exaggeration.

The waiter brings in the cart and leaves giving his good mornings. Stevie pushes the cart to the bed and settles down with her plate.

We eat in silence watching another episode with only the sound of our chewing in the background.

After the half an hour is up, Stevie reaches for the remote and the screen goes black once again.

She turns to me with a hesitant look on her face.

"What?" I ask chewing on the food that's in my mouth.

Stevie looks down at her plate playing with her fork.

"Stevie..." I trail off waiting for her to answer.

I can see her take a deep breath, and she finally focuses her gaze on mine.

"Why did you kiss me last night?"

**Ta Da! Hope you enjoyed, and please review! Hopefully the next chapter will be up sooner, but I'm not sure since I babysit in an apartment without wifi all day... Anyway, review!**


	6. Chapter 5

**I would updated this weekend, but I had state softball tournaments which I might add WE FREAKING GOT FIRST! This takes place in a city, and four teams from my small town league were the finalists! So unfortunately softball is over for the summer, but I love my team and am looking forward to playing with most of the same girls in volleyball! So here is the latest chapter!**

**ZANDER'S POV**

_"Why did you kiss me last night?"_

The question echoed in the silence as my chewing slowed. I swallowed the food and the lump that had formed in my throat. Our eyes are glued together, but I don't say a word.

"Unbelievable," Stevie suddenly says pushing off the bed.

My eyebrows furrow as I look at her confusedly. "What?" I ask.

"You kissed me to shut me up didn't you?"

"I didn't-" Stevie interrupts me.

"Then _why_ did you kiss me?" She asks in a low and warning tone.

I take a deep breath, but before I can say anything, she's talking again.

"I don't care actually. Just keep secrets, and don't talk to me."

Stevie walks out of the room heading for the bathroom.

"Stevie," I call out getting off of the bed and following her.

She spins on her heels to face me. Her eyes are cold as stone as she holds up her hand. "Save it, Zander."

I don't know what else to do so I let her slam the door practically in my face.

Squeezing my eyes shut, I make my way back to the bedroom.

The bed is soft and comforting compared to the soft couch that I tossed and turned on all night.

I mush have fallen asleep because the next thing I know, ther's a crash followed by shattering.

Jumping out of bed, I run to the kitchen to see Stevie crouched over picking up the pieces of the coffeepot.

"What happened?" I ask.

She jumps and turns, "Dropped the coffeepot."

I nod my head and lower myself to help her.

"I'm sorry I woke you up."

Her eyes are on the ground when I look at her. "I probably deserved it."

She looks up at me with a small smile on her face. "Yeah, well, we cn just blame earlier on the lack of sleep we both apparently got."

I shake my head, "No, I definitely deserved it."

Stevie stood up and put her glass in the trashcan. "Yeah, you did."

I chuckle throwing away the glass in my hand. "What should we do today?" I ask.

She thinks for a few seconds before answering, "Horseback riding."

"Sounds good. Let's get dressed and go."

**Z & S**

As our cab pulls up to the ranch, all we can see is the beautiful trees that shield the trails and the gorgeous horses that we will be riding.

"Wow, they're beautiful," Stevie comments looking over my shoulder.

We were almost cheek-to-cheek, her chin inches away from my shoulder. I turn my head and see the sparkling in her eyes. "Yeah, they are," I agree looking her face up and down.

Stevie turns her head, and her eyes meet mine. Smiling even brighter, she locks glances with me.

The cab driver clears his throat pulling us out of our trance. Steve moves from the window as I reach for the cash to pay the man."Thank you," I smile at him as I push open the door and climb out pulling Stevie along behind me.

I don't let go of her hand as we approach the worker. "Hey, I'm Zander, and this is my wife, Stevie."

The man turns to us. "Why hello, my name is Tucker, and I'll get you set up. Have either of you ridden before?" He asks.

"Yeah," Stevie answers. "It was my favorite thing to do as a little girl."

I turn to her and smile. "Seriously?"

She nods her head and turns back to Tucker as he continues to talk. My eyes linger on her a little longer.

"Okay good. I'll show you to your horses then," Tucker replies.

We move over to two slick brown beauties.

"This is Stella and Mahogany. They will be yor trail horses today."

Stevie loosens her hold on my hand and runs her fingers through each horse's mane and down they're necks.

She turns back to me and smiles. "Well, what are you waiting for?! Come on! Let's go!"

I laugh out loud and walk over to Stevie running my own hand across Stella's neck.

"The saddles, as you can see, are already on. The horses are ready so whenever you're ready, you can go," Tucker says walking away.

Steve steps into the stirrup and pulls herself up throwing her leg over.

Patting her leg, I walk over to Mahogany and set myself up onto her back.

I look over to Stevie. She gives me a smile and says, "And off we go!"

**STEVIE'S POV**

Working our way up the trail, Zander and I sat on our horses and looked at the scenery.

"So we have three days left," Zander starts. "What is the most important thing you want to do?"

I sit and think before replying, "I want to go to an amusement park."

He chuckles and shakes his head. "You never fail to amaze me."

"Why? What's so wrong with wanting to go to an amusement park?" I ask looking over at him.

"No, of course nothing's wrong with it. You just act so mature, and then you say something like that."

"So you're calling me immature for wanting to go to an amusement park?" I ask raising my eyebrows.

"No, no, no that's not what I meant! I meant, you're so... serious all the time that it's nice to see you have fun. With me."

I tilt my head, "Thanks... I think. Well, you aren't _always _terrible to be around."

Zander gasps. "Did Stevie Baskara just compliment me?"

I giggle, "Yeah, Stevie _Robbins _did."

"Well, your compliment is duly noted."

Just then, Stella stopped walking.

"Come on, Girl," I encourage her.

She still doesn't move.

Zander steps Mahogany up ahead and turns around. "What's wrong with her Stevie?

"I don't know," I reply shrugging my shoulders.

A twig snapped beside me, and Stella started to dance on her feet. The growl came next, and that's when I realized we were in trouble.

"Zander! We have to go!" I yell turning Stella around and finally getting her to go. Soon, both horses are running back down the trail to the ranch.

Once we reach the gates, Tucker makes his way towards us. "That was fast. How far did you actually go?"

I jump off of Stella as Zander answers, "We were like halfway when something scared Stella."

"A twig snapped, and I heard a growl from the trees," I finish our story.

Tucker nods his head, "Yeah, sometimes we get a big cat along the trail. Sorry that it ruined your ride."

"No problem, man. Nothing you could have done," Zander says reaching for his phone.

"Calling a cab?" I ask as he nods his head.

"One will be here in ten minutes."

We wait for the cab and get in as it pulls up.

"That was interesting," Zander says turning his head towards me.

"Definitely," I agree. "I'm just gld nobody got hurt."

"Should we go swmming when we get back?" He suggests.

"Why? So we can get eaten by a shark?"

Zander chuckles. "I'm sure that won't happen."

"But it could," I retort.

He rolls his eyes. "Yes, it could. How about ths? I'll save you if you get attacked, and you'll save me if I get attacked. Deal?"

I act as if I'm contemplating this befoe answering, "Deal."

"Good."

**S & Z**

We get ready and head dow tothe beach.

I tae one step in and run right back out. "That is some cold water."

Zander laughs, "You can't always have heated pools."

"Dude, we've already come down here. The temp is just hard to get used to," I snap.

He gets an evil look on his face, "You know a way to solve that? You're supposed to get your head wet."

"Oh, no. Nuh uh, you arenot touching me," I say backpedalling through the sand.

Zander just smiles innocently and mkes his way towards me.

"Zander Robbins... Do not-"

He scoops me up into his arms and tosses me into the water.

I scream through the cold and pop back above the surface.

Zander is standing at the edge of the water laughing at me as I stand up and walk up tohim.

"You think this is funny?" I ask with my hands on my hips.

His laugh turns into a chuckle. "Yeah, it kinda is."

"Huh, well you won't be laughing for long."

The smile is wiped off his face as I yank his arm sending him into the water.

"Oh, now you're going to get it!" He says pulling me towards him. As soon as I get close enough, he props himself onto my shoulders effectively dunking me.

"Robbins..." I warn coughing up water. I open my eyes to aim a punch at him, but he catches my wrists in his grasp.

"You are not going to hit me!" He says.

"I do what I want," I say stepping closer.

Zander rolls his eyes. "Trust me. I know."

I scoff at him and narrow my eyes. "You can let go now."

"Nope. If I do, you're going to try to hit me again," he says tightening his grip.

I wiggle around trying to kick and push him off balance, but the water isn't on my sie.

Finally, I give up. That's when I realize just how close our bodies have gotten.

Zander is staring at me... adoringly? Is that even possible.

"What?" I ask swallowing thickly.

A smile creeps onto his face, "I have a reason this time."

I give him a confused look. "A reason for what?"

"The reason isn't to shut you up either. I realize that this is probably stupid, but I really don't care."

Before I know what's happeing, his lips are on mine again. I don't know what to do so I respond with a kiss of my own.

Not smart at all but so worth it.

Plus, since when did we actually like each other?!

All this is forgtten as he pulls me deeper and deeper into the darkness.

**Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoyed! Please reveiw! I'd love to hear what you guys thought!**


	7. Chapter 6

**I wanted to get this posted before I leave for vacation this next week. Thanks for reading and all your reviews! Enjoy!**

**STEVIE'S POV**

I wake up to a new smell in my nose. Familiar, but new to the morning.

I can also feel an unusual weight around my waist holding me close to something.

Turning over gently, I see none other than Zander facing away from me on his stomach, arm wrapped around my waist.

My breath catches in my throat when I realize what I'm wearing.

Nothing.

And what he's wearing.

Probably nothing also. Well, not a shirt at least.

I groan and rub my eyes trying to remember last night.

The beach.

The kiss.

The reason.

His reason.

He fell in love with me.

We've only been married a week, and he loves me.

But do I love him?

_*FLASHBACK*_

_A smile creeps onto his face, "I have a reason this time."_

_I give him a confused look. "A reason for what?"_

_"The reason isn't to shut you up either. I realize that this is probably stupid, but I really don't care."_

_Before I know what's happening, his lips are on mine again. I don't know what to do so I respond with a kiss of my own._

_"What do you mean?" I ask in between kisses._

_Zander makes his way down to my neck and plants sloppy wet kisses there._

_With his arms tightening around me, he counter-asks, "What?"_

_My legs go around his waist. "Just a little bit ago, when you said you had a reason this time. A reason for what?" I ask again breathlessly._

_"For kissing you," he simply answers moving back up to my lips._

_I pull his face away from mine and look into his eyes. "What is it?"_

_Zander smiles and pecks my nose. "I've fallen in love with you."_

_And with that he kisses me again but this time, we don't stop. He just carries me back to our hotel room._

_*END FLASHBACK*_

My groan stirs Zander, and he unconsciously pulls me closer rolling onto his side and placing his head in the space between my shoulder and neck.

He lies still for a few seconds before his eyes open and his head rises looking at me.

"Good morning, Baby," Zander says as a smile creeps across his lips.

"Hey," I say softly.

Zander kisses along my jawline before finally getting to my lips. He kisses me softly, and I respond turning my body to face his.

He moves from my lips to my neck making his way down my arms before kissing my hand and holding it against his chest.

I smile into his eyes. Taking a deep breath I ask, "Did you mean what you said last night?"

Keeping eye contact the whole time Zander nods his head and kisses my lips.

"Why?" I ask next.

"Why what?" Zander replies pulling back a little bit.

"Why do you love me? The last time I checked we hated each other and the idea of this marriage situation."

"Well," Zander starts. "See, you're amazing."

I smile, "Oh really?"

"Yeah," he replies getting closer to my face. "You're smart and funny and sweet, but you know how to be serious and stand your ground. You can ride a horse. You're a tomboy, but the other night when you dressed up for dinner, you looked amazing. Plus, you're cute when your mad."

The last one made me laugh, and Zander's smile widens impossibly more. "And you're beautiful."

I can feel my eyes go soft, and I just know.

"I love you, too."

**ZANDER'S POV**

I hear a faint sound and feel something move gently.

Rolling to my side, last night comes back to me. I told Stevie I loved her. Completely out of the blue but true.

I love her.

That's not something I say everyday. Especially considering our situation. When I realize the sound and movement came from her, I say good morning and start kissing my way down her arm to her hand holding it against my chest.

Stevie asks if I meant what I said last night.

I nod my head and kiss her lips.

Her next question catches me a little off guard. The question being a simple 'why?'

What don't I love about her? In the beginning, everything and every part of her made want to run in front of a bus. But now?

I just can't get enough of her laugh, her voice, her company, her beauty.

Stevie laughs when I say she's cute when she's mad, and I can feel my smile brighten.

"And you're beautiful."

That is my final statement because honestly, she is. Stevie is beautiful both inside and out.

I can see a change in her eyes.

"I love you, too."

I laugh and bring her face to mine plastering it with kisses.

She giggles, and I think it's probably the cutest thing I've ever heard, and possibly my favorite.

I roll her onto her back positioning myself over her. "Why do you love me?"

She smiles and runs her fingers through my hair.

"Well," she starts. "You're funny and sweet but strong at the same time. You don't look too bad all dressed up either. You treat me like an adult instead of a sixteen-year-old. Plus, you're cute when you're mad."

I laugh at the last part just like she had, and Stevie's eyes brighten as she pulls my head down for a kiss. "And you're mine."

**Z & S**

"Are you almost ready, Babe?" I call gently rapping on the bathroom door.

"Yeah, just a second."

I patiently wait in the kitchen downing a glass of water.

Stevie walks in wearing a deep blue sun dress her hair still damp from her shower. I peck her lips as she walks up to me. "Ready for our late afternoon picnic?"

"You bet," she replies. "Do you realize we only have like two days left in paradise and have to go back to reality?"

I nod my head and wrap my arms around her waist holding her close. "And we have to tell our families that we are happily married and hopelessly in love."

She laughs and puts her arms around my waist. "I just can't wait to see the look on my mom's face and hear her say 'I told you so.' Maybe we should just hide out here for the rest of our lives."

"You know..." I trail off.

"Wait. You're actually thinking about this?" Stevie asks looking at me.

"Why not? I mean, we're happy here. We have money, and I wouldn't mind beig a normal person and getting a job to try it out."

Stevie seems to think about it for a couple of seconds before shaking her head. "We are both children of the most important people in our towns. Do you know how himiliating that would be for them?"

"You mean like how they humiliated us with an unwanted marriage that was the talk of both towns? Yeah, baecause they don't deserve it at all," I say kissing her cheek. "It's fine. If you don't want to, we'll just go home."

Stevie groans. "You did that on purpose."

"Did what?" I ask innocently.

She rolls her eyes and replies, "You used that stupid tone that says you're disappointed."

"Awwww, Baby. You already know my tones," I say smiling.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, don't go bagging about this," she warns.

"Too late!" I say kissing her one last time before picking up the basket from the counter and tossing the blanket at Stevie's face.

She scoffs and starts to run after me jumping on my back when she gets close enough. "Giddy up, Horsey!"

"Stevie..." I warn reaching around my back to spank her.

Slapping my hand away, she laughs and tightens her arms around my neck.

Yep, definitely not looking forward to going home.

**There's that chapter! I have no idea where I'm going with this story, but I hope you like it! Please review!**


	8. Chapter 7

**Sorry it's so late guys! I ended the last chapter badly so I had some problems getting this chapter started, but here it is!**

**STEVIE'S POV**

I feel the gentle caress on my cheek pulling me up from the darkness.

I open my eyes and blink a couple of times to clear my vision.

"Hey, we're home, Baby," Zander says hen I turn to look at him in the driver's seat.

"Yay, back to reality," I groan. "So how are we playing this? Hate each other or love each other?"

Zander things a little bit. "That depends. Do you want to tell everybody they were right or just act like we just became friends?"

Silence fills the vehicle we both ponder the options.

Finally, I sigh. "I don't know. It'll be nice to actually be a couple, but my mom told me at the wedding that we were meant to be together which just makes the 'I told you so' worse."

Zander nods his head. "So, friends it is."

"Well," I smile. "Outside of our house anyway. Inside, you're mine. You know, as long as the guys aren't around."

He laughs and squeezes my hand before climbing out of the car.

We carry the luggage our luggage into the house.

"STEVIE!" Kevin and Nelson yell pulling me into a right hug.

"Hey boys," I greet gasping for air. They loosen their arms a little at that.

"Really?! My best friends even like you more!" Zander complains from the doorway.

I giggle as Kevin and Nelson shuffle over to Zander, never breaking the hug, and pull him in too.

"You know we love you," Nelson says laying his head on Zander's shoulder.

Pushing Nelson's head off his shoulder, Zander pulls away from the group mumbling something along the lines of, "Replaced by my own wife. Go figure."

I'm about to reply when a door opens and Kacey walks out. She sees me and the next thing I know, I'm on the ground.

"Stevie!" She yells holding me tight.

I laugh as much as I can considering I'm being crushed. "Hey Kace, what are you doing here?"

Kacey stands up offering her hand to pull me up. I take it willingly and stand. "Well, I crashed here the night of the wedding, and I just never left."

Nodding my head, I turn to Zander. "We should probably get over to my parents' house if we ever want to go over to yours and somehow make our way back here at some point."

"Yeah, sure," he agrees grabbing his keys. "We'll see you traitors later."

The other three scoff as we walk out the door waving good-bye as we go.

Getting into the car, Zander looks over at me. "Unbelievable," he sighs chuckling and shaking his head. "You already have my friends wrapped around your finger."

I shoot him a smile as he starts the car. "Is that a bad thing?"

"Not at all. You are pretty amazing I guess," he simply explains with a smirk.

**S & Z**

"Sweetie! How are you?" My mother asks as we walk into the kitchen.

"Good," I answer giving her a hug.

"Hello, Zander."

"Nice to see you, Mrs. Baskara," Zander greets back giving her a kiss on the cheek.

"So, how was the honeymoon?" She asks eagerly.

"It was fine," I say shrugging my shoulders. "We went horseback riding and spent a lot of time on the beach."

"Fun, fun," she comments. "So, how comfortable was the bed?"

"Oh my God! Mom!" I shout glaring at her.

Behind me, Zander stifles a laugh.

I spin around and look at him. "Do NOT encourage her!"

He throws his hands up on surrender, and I turn back to my mom. "We're leaving. Talk to you later. Maybe."

"But you didn't say hi to your father," she calls after us.

"I'll see him later," I say closing the door on her.

"That was interesting," Zander comments once we're back in the car.

I just sigh and run my hands over my face. "Let's just go to your parents' house and get this over with."

The drive is a half an hour long.

"I'm sorry about my mom," I apologize twenty minutes in.

Zander glances at me and then turns back to the road. "Well, at least she didn't tell me to get you pregnant."

I chuckle. "Yeah, I guess, but I'm pretty sure that was her way of asking if you did."

"Mothers. What are ya gonna do?" He comments.

The silence returns and Zander cranks the music. We spend the rest of the time singing, some good and some bad, to whatever comes on the radio.

Zander pulls up to his parents' house, and we walk right in.

"Mom? Dad?" He calls out.

"In the den!" We hear back.

"Honey! Welcome home!" His mom greets giving him a kiss on the cheek. "And Stevie, you are just glowing! Is there something you want to tell us?" She asks expectantly.

"No need to rush the kids," Zander's father says. "They just got married. Give 'em a couple more weeks, and then I'm sure they'll have some exciting news for us."

Zander groans at this statement. "Well, we're home, and we're leaving so see you soon."

With that, he grabbed my hand and pulled me out the door.

Zander didn't let go of my hand until he practically pushed me into my seat and shut my door. It would have been nice except the fact that he is definitely angry, therefore a little rough.

He climbs into his seat, starts the car and pulls out of the driveway in an instant.

"Zander," I start to talk when I see his knuckles turning white on the steering wheel.

He doesn't respond.

"Hey," I say placing my hand on this thigh.

I see his breath catch as he looks down at my hand. Taking one hand off the wheel, Zander grabs my hand and holds it to his cheek running it over his lips every once in a while.

Finally, he takes a deep breath and starts to talk. "It's just annoying how they think they can control every aspect of our lives. They forced us to marry someone we didn't love," he says turning to smile at me. "Which turned out great, but they don't know that yet. Them thinking it didn't end happily, they still want to get a say in when or if we have children! You're sixteen and married! Like that's not hard enough, now they think you need a kid to worry about too? I don't understand." He squeezes my hand a little tighter. "I'm sorry."

I smile and remain silent for a few heartbeats.

"This is going to sound stupid, but it was your idea first," I say turning in my seat to face him.

Zander glances away from the road enough to shoot me a curious look.

"Let's move to paradise."

**ZANDER'S POV**

I slam on the brakes and pull to the shoulder of the road. "What did you just say?"

Stevie looks me over and repeats what she just said. "Let's move to paradise. I mean, you said it yourself. Getting a job will be different; we don't have to worry about our parents. We still wouldn't have to tell them about us. Just say we're tired of the pressure everyone keeps putting on us."

I look into her eager eyes. "What about school for you?"

Stevie looks out the window and back at me. "I can switch to online. You already graduated tech so we can both work during the day and be together at night. All I'd have to do is keep up with school which I can easily do if I only have a part time job."

Silence...

More silence...

And still more silence...

"Okay," I finally agree.

"Sweet!" Stevie exclaims throwing her arms around me.

I laugh and peck her lips before easing the car back into traffic heading home.

**Z & S**

"Hey, we're back!" Stevie yells into the house when we enter.

Kacey walks out from the kitchen. "Hey guys. Kevin and Nelson are playing video games in the basement."

We head downstairs to see Kevin and Nelson playing REAL video games instead of the handheld Furious Pigeons.

"Impressive," I comment sitting done in the chair next to the couch unconsciously pulling Stevie down with me into my lap.

We watch the screen until a smirking Kacey blocks our view.

"Yes?" I ask her expectantly.

Her face brightens into a smile pointing her finger between Stevie and me. "What's this?"

I glance at Stevie who has her eyebrows raised looking at Kacey. "What's what?"

Kacey scoffs. "You two are so touchy-feely and practically making out in a chair!"

"Um, sorry to break it to you, Kace," I answer. "But we're sitting in a chair."

Kacey just rolls her eyes sitting down next to Kevin who turns to her and smiles weird. "Fine. Whatever. But there's something going on here, and I know exactly what it is."

"Well, we are moving to Maui."

Two controllers fall to the floor as three heads snap to look at us.

"WHAT?!"

**Thank you for reading! I'll update as soon as possible because school starts in two weeks so I'll be short on time soon enough. Review!**


	9. Chapter 8

**OH MY GOD! I am soooooo sorry about not updating this in over a month! School started and it's been crazy added in with volleyball and a huge bowl of writers block, but I have finally finished the final chapter of this story, and I hope you enjoy it! Love you all!**

_"Well, we're moving to Maui."_

_"WHAT?!"_

**ZANDER'S POV**

My eyes widen as I smile at Stevie. "Too much pressure here."

"B-but you can't leave us!" Nelson cries out.

"Yeah, who are we supposed to have fun with?" Kevin pouts.

Kacey scoffs. "Gee, thanks guys." Then she turns to us. "You guys are happy; aren't you? You know, with this whole marriage thing."

Stevie smiles. "Yeah, but please don't tell anyone else. The 'I told you so' comments are not appreciated."

"I won't. When do you plan on leaving?"

I exchange a look with Stevie. "As soon as possible."

Kacey squeals. "Oh! This is exciting! And sad; it's excitingly sad! My best friend is moving away with the love of her life!"

"Okay, Kace," Stevie laughs. "Calm down, Darling."

"I can't!" Kacey says turning to me. "Zander, I swear to God if you hurt her-"

I cut her off. "I won't. Don't worry," I assure her turning to Stevie.

"Should we start looking at places?"

Stevie nods her head. "Yeah, let's go."

**Z & S**

Two days later, we find the perfect place.

Setting up a time to go and see the house, we plan to go back in two days.

The packing for the trip is already starting when I hear Stevie call out to me.

Walking into our room, I see her sitting cross-legged on the floor.

"Whatcha need?" I ask.

Stevie twists her body and smiles. "I'm bored, and I don't want to pack anymore," she whines.

I chuckle and cross the room holding my hands out for her to grab as I pull her up.

Encircling her waist with my arms, I pull her close kissing her lips. As I try deepening the kiss, Stevie pulls away.

"Not happening, Darling," she states patting my chest and stepping back and out of my grasp.

I pout at her as she shakes her head and walks out the door. "Come on! You're taking me to dinner."

Rolling my eyes, I follow her to the door grabbing my keys from the counter as we pass.

"Always thinking about food," I jokingly sigh putting my arm around her shoulders.

"Got that right," she replies wrapping her arm around my waist.

I just squeeze her to my side in response.

**Z & S**

The café is a cute little joint with a private room for us. You know, just to ensure privacy from any media that may be seeking out the new "hottest couple."

"This place is nice," Stevie absently says looking around. "I should become a baker."

I look at her to see she's serious. "Seriously? You bake?" I ask.

Not knowing each other before this arrangement means constant surprises from both of us.

Stevie nods her head. "I think I'm even good at it."

"Then you should open a bakery in Maui," I suggest taking a sip of my coffee.

She seems to debate this. "Maybe I will."

"Just remember, we need constant goodies in our house then."

Stevie laughs. "Oh, so you're encouraging me to bake for your own purposes. Sneaky and clever."

"That's just me," I say smiling.

Stevie rolls her eyes. "Sometimes I wonder about you Zander."

The waitress comes with our food then setting the plates on the table.

We mumble thanks as she makes her way back out of the room leaving us alone once again.

"So," I start swallowing the food that was in my mouth. "Are you excited about moving?"

Stevie nods her head following suit with swallowing her food. "Of course. I can't wait to be in Maui."

"We did have a good time out there," I state taking another bite.

She agrees with a hum.

For a few moments, we sit in silence.

Finally breaking the silence, I speak. "So, so you think something's going on with Kacey and Kevin?"

"I don't really know. Kacey is complicated," Stevie says shrugging her shoulders. "Kevin obviously likes her."

"Oh definitely," I agree with her.

"What about Nelson?" She asks.

"Uh, he had a think with Grace and I think that's still going on."

"Good," she simply replies. "Are we done?"

"Yeah, let's go," I say getting up from my seat.

Grabbing Stevie's hand, I lead her to the car heading back home for one more day before we're back in paradise.

**STEVIE'S POV**

Pulling up to the house, I gasp. "Oh my God, Zander, it's perfect."

The house is a beach-side, ranch style, three-bed and two-bath cream masterpiece. It has a deck around the back and a small deck on up front.

"You want it?" Zander asks.

I look up into his eyes and nod my head.

"Okay then," he says turning to the realtor. "We'll take it."

She smiles. "That was fast. Would you still like to see the inside?"

"Yes please," I answer as I excitedly pull Zander behind me as I ascend the steps.

The inside is beautiful. Nothing is unfinished, and everything looks new.

"This impressive," Zander comments beside me.

The realtor looks at us. "We can probably get it to you in a couple of weeks since it's vacant right now."

"That's amazing!" I exclaim.

"I'll let you know," she says smiling. "Feel free to look around a bit more, and I'll make a couple calls."

"Great, thanks," Zander says.

The realtor exits, and Zander turns to me. "How awesome is this?" He asks pecking my lips.

"Better than I expected actually," I state wrapping my arms around his neck.

"This will soon be ours," he smiles.

"I can't wait," I agree.

"Aww, you guys are cute," the realtor says walking back in. "I set up a date two weeks from now for you guys to officially get the house."

"Thank you," I say squeezing Zander's hand lightly.

"You're welcome and congratulations," she says leading them out.

Our future is finally how we want it.

**S & Z**

"This is the last of the boxes," I say closing the door behind me setting it next to the television and TV stand Zander had just moved in.

"Not quite," Zander replies.

I squint my eyes at him. "Yes, quite. I just checked and made sure. There are no more boxes left."

Zander smiles and reaches out for my hands. I place mine in his and watch as he removes our wedding rings.

"Zander, what are you-" I try to ask.

"Stevie, sush," he smiles. "There's still one more box."

With that said, he reaches into his pocket and pulls out a velvet box. As I gasp, he gets down on one knee.

"Stevie, we absolutely hated each other when this all started, and now, all I want is you. So, will you marry me? Again? This time, though, for real and how we want it?"

I laugh lightly and sniffle as he reaches up to wipe the tears from my cheeks. "Of course I will, you idiot! You didn't need to do this."

"Sure I did," Zander tries to convince me. "If we're going to do this, we're going to do this right."

"Well, then I guess I shouldn't be living here with you yet," I tease him.

"Hey!" Zander exclaims kissing me. "Technically, we're already married so you don't have to move an inch. Unless you want to."

I tap my chin thoughtfully. "Nah, I guess I can stick around."

"Well then," Zander says lowly lifting me into his arms. I gasp and laugh tilting my head back as he kissed my neck. "It's seven o'clock, and we did a lot of work today. Tomorrow is another day, and our bed is already set up."

"Zander Robbins," I scold playfully. "Are you being suggestive?"

"Maybe," he answers kissing down my neck and across my collarbone.

"Well, I'll just have to teach you a lesson," I say capturing his lips with mine.

Now this is how our future should be.

**Thank you lovely people for reading this! I don't think I'll be doing anymore Zevie stories, but I will always be a Zevie fan! Love you all so much for supporting me the last year in this archive! Check out some of my other stories! Bye!**


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